It’s Spring Break time for many of us and as we have a break from school and work, it’s also a perfect time to recharge and take advantage of the time off and refresh our homes.
We often use the time to tackle detailed cleaning projects, but I like to use the time to clear out clutter and have a total home re-set in addition to deep cleaning.
A spring organizing session can transform you and your home. By clearing the clutter, you can have more clarity and a calmer less stressful life. Studies have shown that people feel happier when they have decluttered homes and simplified work environments.
You may seem a bit overwhelmed just thinking about your organizing project, but I always say that you should give yourself some grace as you are striving for progress, not perfection. You will get your Zen back, one space at a time.
Before starting anything, take a deep breath and envision the space that you want to have and begin the process. But where do you start or what should you work on? I always like to concentrate my Spring home organizing sessions in my “biggest hot spot”, my daughter’s playroom is often the biggest clutter accumulator.
For most of us, including me, these are the top three areas to look at and re-set:
Your Closet – Take an inventory of the clothes and shoes that you have, are any of them damaged or ill fitting? – Either donate or recycle them (let’s be honest, you won’t have time to repair them if they’ve been sitting there for a while , channel the inner Elsa and “let it go”.
Take out your out of season shoes and clothes, and either store them in a different place or in containers. Keep a light jacket or sweater handy that you can use for possible cool spring nights, where you can dress in layers.
I am a bit of a minimalist and like to arrange my closet by tops, then bottoms and dresses. I hang everything as I only have 4 drawers where I organize them this way: underwear and socks in one drawer, bras, camisoles, and swimsuits in the remaining drawers. I keep my pajamas in my bedside table drawer. I don’t like digging for things so I keep things simple.
Children’s Rooms/Playrooms – Go through the clothes and remove anything that no longer fits and or is damaged and either donate them or recycle them.
Check the toys to see if they are still liked and played with by the children, discard any broken ones and donate any that are no longer played with. I like to donate toys to one of the local women’s shelters that provide services for women and children that leave abusive households or that find themselves needing emergency shelter.
The Garage – The garage can quickly become a dumping ground if you don’t habitually return things to their home. I like to start by decluttering the garage and sorting through the items that are just lying around. Make sure that you can conquer the space in a day or two and that you can recruit some help if you need some.
Take the objects that are lying around out and lay them down in a safe spot either on a sorting sheet on half of the driveway, where you could see everything that you have, your lawn or patio. Group everything into the keep, donate, discard, and sell piles. Secondary selling doesn’t always give you back what you originally invested in the item, but it will give you something.
By asking yourself if you’ve used the things in the past year or two and determining that you haven’t used them, ask yourself why and whether they are justifying the space they’re occupying.
Get all the items that you decided to get rid of to where they need to go, as soon as possible. You run the risk of undoing all the hard work that went into sorting the items, if you leave it for too long. It’s perfectly okay to have an “I don’t know what to do with these items pile.: Re-visit the I don’t know pile within a week or two and determine your course of action.
Return the items to the clean spots where they belong. Once you have them in their homes, do you need more space or a better organizing system?
If you are having trouble finding a home for your items, consider upgrading your garage storage system with either a DIY solution like buying a cabinet or shelves, or consult with a garage storage specialist to install a system that suits your needs and utilizes the vertical space which clears items off the floor.
I leave it at three areas because these are my top three areas. You can use the acronym S.P.A.C.E. for any room in your home to declutter and organize:
S – Sort (Take everything out of their space and put like items with like items)
P – Purge (Let go of what you don’t need or use)
A – Allocate (find a home for everything)
C- Contain (Make sure that you have the proper containers that will assist you for the space that you have. Not everything needs a container.
E – Equalize (Live with your space for a few weeks and see if everything seems right, if not re-visit the space and determine how to get it to where it needs to be.)
If you live in the greater Houston area, and need help organizing your home or personal space, then reach out to a Houston Professional Organizer today. Zensational Organizing now offers move management services in addition to complete home organizing services. Mention this blog and I will honor the 4 hour Spring special. Virtual organizing sessions are also available just ask!
Have a Zensational Spring!
Stephanie@ZensationalOrganizing.com